Delayed posting (Saturday Adventure)

So, for the last few days she was here (Thursday and Friday), M had been reading the Texas guidebook that Ann & Glenn gave me as a going away present. She suggested the Austin Farmer's Market for our Saturday morning adventure. We figured we didn't need to go for a walk in the neighborhood, cuz we'd walk enough downtown. We were wrong. Of course, it could be that we got there just after the market opened (it opens at 9, we got there at 9:30), or it could be the heat -- it was expected to hit 99 on Saturday. So, the market was about a block long, with two rows of stalls. Mostly fruits & vegetables, but a few others (coffee, honey, jams). We didn't buy anything.

On the way back we drove up Congress, so we took nice pictures of the Capital building. (This is one of M's pictures -- she took some great stuff during the week! )

After a quick stop at Starbucks/Jamba Juice, we came home, changed, and went off to Fredricksburg, to see the town and visit some wineries. One of the brochures I got at the welcome center was for the Texas Winetrail, and M read that Fredricksburg (which is right in the middle of wine country) was a cute little town with lots of shops. So, we pointed the car west. Fredricksburg is about an hour away (71 miles). To get there, you drive through Johnson City, birthplace of President Lyndon Johnson (we saw a lot of presidential birthplaces and such on this trip!).

First stop on the adventure was a cute little winery called Grape Creek. They only had a few white wines (I don't drink red), but I bought one! A Cabernet Blanc. Next stop was Wildseed Farms. This place was AMAZING. It was a giant garden center, with every kind of wildflower you could possibly want, plus grasses, cacti, pots, hangings, and a shop full of cute little doodads. M bought a little ceramic frog. [I learned that she really likes frogs! something to remember for the future!] Here's a pic of one of the enormous hibiscus they had at Wildseed. I really wish I was more of a gardener -- I have a black thumb. I just can't grow plants!

We stopped at one more winery -- all the way on the other side of town -- that was so far off the beaten path, there was a sign for "Loose Livestock" along the road! And boy, did we see livestock -- cows and horses and goats, right up next to the road. A little disconcerting, let me tell you. Anyway, this one was Chisholm Trail. They only had four wines, and tastings were $1 for a glass (although it was about half a glass, rather than a small tasting), so I had a glass of the white wine, and then we left. By then I was getting kinda hungry, and more wine on an empty stomach seemed like a bad idea. ;)

Back in "downtown" Fredricksburg, M looked down a little alley and found the Rather Sweet bakery & cafe for lunch. YUM. We had excellent (and inexpensive) lunches. I ordered lemonade -- we sat outside, and in the shade it really didn't seem that hot! -- and was pleasantly surprised to find that the lemonade had small chunks of watermelon in it. I might have to try that at home in the future. We spent a few hours wandering in and out of the little shops. There are a lot of tchotchke shops there, some women's clothing, some furniture... we didn't buy much.

My new boss (Marcia) had been trying to organize a bunch of people to go out on Saturday night. Unfortunately, nobody could make it. (they don't even know me yet, and already they're bailing! waaah!) So the three of us went to dinner at Shady Grove. It was still hot, so I was actually glad we got to sit inside in the air conditioning. The burgers were yummy. We hung out there until after 10pm... by then we were all starting to fade.

Oh, since M has posted her pictures, you can go see some of the fun ones I mentioned earlier in the week. Be sure to look for the sign entering Arkansas (and the one for Texas), both of us at the Texas Welcome Center sign, and of course M with our waiter, Danny, at County Line. That giant thing we are holding is a fake rib. (doesn't it look tasty?)

I will end with a HUGE THANK YOU to M for: helping me finish packing boxes in Arlington, moving furniture to the dumpster, packing the car, navigating/driving halfway across the country, singing along to the crazy 80's music I played (and RENT, let's not forget that), keeping me sane (or at least almost sane), trying to cure me of my bag-hoarding tendencies, scrubbing the dead bugs off the windshield, touring the supermarkets of Austin, taking goofy pictures everywhere, and being an all around excellent companion (among other things). We should do this again sometime! (well, minus the whole packing and furniture-moving thing)